CHARGERS: Mathews on schedule for return

SAN DIEGO ---- As the media questioned Ryan Mathews following Wednesday's practice, Chargers coach Norv Turner interrupted the interview from a distance.

"Hey Ryan," Turner said. "Don't make any promises you can't keep."

Turner was teasing his young running back, who has long been adamant about an early return from a broken clavicle suffered Aug. 9 in his first preseason carry.

Mathews originally said he would play in the season opener against Oakland, just three weeks after an injury that required surgery to repair. When that didn't happen, his focus shifted to Sunday against Tennessee.

Again, he was inactive.

Nearly two weeks after he return to practice in a limited role, Mathews is on schedule to play as scheduled Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. That would be a little over six weeks since the injury, the exact timetable originally suggested.

He's expected to be a full participant in Thursday's practice in pads, and his response to that is likely the final hurdle before playing again.

"I'm getting back in the pace of everything, and getting back into taking reps again," Mathews said. "I was optimistic that I'd be ready to go opening week, but this injury takes time and it's taken a while. Every week things get better, but it's a broken bone that takes a while to heal. I do feel great. I feel healthy and strong and ready to go."

As usual, Turner was non-committal about Mathews' return.

"He took his normal reps," Turner said. "He did what he needed to do today, and he's making the progress you'd expect him to make."

Turner won't make a final decision until Sunday, as he does with all injured players working their way back to the field.

"It's a long season, and I think they're going to be really smart with what they do with me," Mathews said. "They'll wait and see what I do on Saturday before they make that final decision on Sunday."

That's when they'll make a final decision on whether Antonio Gates will play. The star tight end missed the Titans game with a rib injury and was limited in practice, as he was late last week when he performed simple non-contact drills. Turner wouldn't even say whether Gates would practice fully on Thursday.

"We'll see how he feels tomorrow after doing as much as he did today," Turner said. "He was moving fast and he looked good."